


Living Nightmare

by SlightlyObsessedwithStories



Series: Corrupted Steven Fics [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Corrupted Steven Universe, Dark, Disturbing Themes, Gen, Nightmares, Pain, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 13:50:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21321223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlightlyObsessedwithStories/pseuds/SlightlyObsessedwithStories
Summary: Steven's been having some nightmares lately.
Series: Corrupted Steven Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545733
Comments: 40
Kudos: 189





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Now back to your (not really) regularly scheduled angst.
> 
> Hope you enjoy me trying to write something a bit more graphic than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings here: Blood, gore and almost drowning.

Steven doesn't know where he is. Well, he doesn't know where he is _right now,_ he just woke up.

He tries standing up...and fails, falling face flat on the dusty ground before him. Every part of his body aches right now. He should probably wait before he tries to get up.

As his eyes adjust to the low light around him, he realizes that he's in a different place, _again._

He's been sleep walking for the past few weeks, he would wake up to the gems worried faces, surrounding him. Asking him questions such as "Where have you been?!" _"How_ did you even get here?!"

He doesn't know exactly _how _he got to those places, what he does know is that it started when the nightmares began.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a pretty eventful month, scratch that, it was a stressful month that was _finally over._

The tired teen tries to recount the events that happened in the last month, but he can't. Not with this splitting headache he has.

Steven makes a beeline to his bed, collapsing on it, the bed making a little _creak_ noise. He kicks off his flip-flops and throws his jacket somewhere, he'll get them when he wakes up.

Right now he just wants to sleep for a few million years. The bed feels softer than any cloud and the blankets are warm and comfy.

His headache's gone as soon as his head hit the pillows, 'Huh, I guess I'm just..._really_ tired.' He thought.

His eyes shut and his mind drifts into the land of dreams as always.

***********

The soft pink clouds of his mother's room are all around him. Behind him, he can see the impressions he made through the clouds.

Steven's soaring through the puffy clouds with dark pink butterfly wings, performing a mix of loops and spins in the air as he tests out his wings.

It's exhilarating, soaring through the vast skies before him, with nothing to fear. Even if he falls, something soft will cushion the landing and he can always try again.

After all, he _is_ dreaming. It's not like his wings are going to break or the ground would turn into spikes.

He lands on a floating cloud and breathes a sigh of relief. For a few hours, he could just _relax._ There's nothing that could stop him. No diamonds, no Jasper, and no gem rebellion. 

There's no one to fight here.

Lightning flashes before his eyes. Thunder boomed from a distance as the clouds around him darkened.

Someone shouts in the distance, a voice he did _not_ want to deal with right now.

"Rose Quartz!"

He turns around and sees a silhouette behind him, marching torwards him.

Steven groaned as he watches the quartz soldier get closer, "Why did I have to jinx it?"

"Come over here and _face_ me, you _coward!"_ Jasper's voice echoed across the space they're in.

"Did you think you would fool me with your tricks?" She sneered as she stood there, unmoving even as the wind howled against her form.

Steven has had enough of this. She was there when she got unbubbled. She saw the diamonds, but it couldn't get through her.

"I tried to talk to you, explain everything. White, Yellow and Blue even made a book, yet you still don’t get it!"

He steps forward facing Jasper fully and staring her right in the eyes. Wind blowing against his wings while the storm rages in the background, but still his voice is louder than the storm.

"I’m not my mom! I’m _not_ pink diamond! I’m **not** Rose Quartz! It doesn’t even matter that I have the gem, I am more than that.I am **Steven Universe****!"**

There was silence, a calm of sorts. Even the storm ceased to exist. Did he convince her?

"...Alright then, _Steven"_ The orange quartz stepped torwards him.

In a few seconds, Steven felt her hand go torwards his gem and she ripped it from his body in a motion so fast that it actually made a hole.

A bloody hole stood where a pink gem was embedded. Red fluid spurted out from it, as Steven tried to stop the flow with his hand.

Jasper holds the gem in her hand, examining from all sides and angles as she wipes the blood from it.

"Let's see how much more you are without help from _Her."_

She lifts his body and walks torwards the edge of the cloud.

He falls. 

Remembering that he has wings, Steven desperately flaps them. Hoping to slow his descent torwards the dark depths below.

He's too weak,_ Of course he is. He's nothing, but a burden without it._

_Why did he even hope that he'll have a happy ending, he doesn't deserve it._

_ He tried to end things peacefully with Jasper, but it failed. He had to bubble her. He deserved this._

The inky black ocean was nearing him.

He just wanted to have a break. Was that too much to _ask?_

The ocean swallowed him whole before he could answer that thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He wakes up, coughing up water as he sees blurry images of green and blue.

He was...on the beach? Wait, that's not right. He remembers laying in bed. 

A snippet of his dream comes back, Jasper holding his gem in her hands as he falls.

His hand reflexively checks his gem, it's still there. _It was just a dream._

"Steven, you're alive!" Peridot hugged him as Lapis tries to explain what they saw to Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst.

Pearl pushed through both of them once she saw Steven sitting up. "Steven! What happened?!"

He tried to think of an answer, but nothing came up.

He doesn't know.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * is writing fanfic*  
*The promo was leaked*  
"Welp time to stop and freak out over this"
> 
> At least I finished this chapter.  
Warnings here: kinda body horror and some blood

Steven looked around him, this place seemed familiar, but for some reason his thoughts just couldn't come back to him.

There was a dull pain on his head, sometimes it hurt so much that he had to stop straining himself and sometimes it's just...a barely noticeable ache.

He tries to stand up, his legs wobbled and he was flat on the ground, yet again.

He looks up and sees the white full moon. Its gentle glow lighting the world around him. Surrounding it are thousands of shining stars, twinkling like diamonds in the endless sky.

Speaking of diamonds, he wonders what they could be doing right now. Sure, he really doesn't want to be with them right now, they still have a lot to learn about affection and being open to other gems, but they're still family.

_Family..._

That word is so familiar...why couldn't he remember what it _means,_ he just used it.

He finally managed to stand, at least. Maybe walking around would jog his memory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steven can't sleep. He looks at the clock right next to him. It reads 12:01 a.m. 

He was supposed to be up early tomorrow to help with some of reconstruction in Little Homeworld. _Why can't he sleep?_

He gets up from bed and looks at the mirror. The bags under his eyes have gotten darker, his skin is pale under the moonlight, _and there are dark pink spots on his cheeks._

Wait...what?!

He rubs his eyes and looks back at the mirror, they're gone, cheeks are still the same color.

He _really _needs to sleep already.

The teen tiredly goes down the stairs and grabs a glass of water.

He tries not to think about what he saw in the mirror. _You were just tired. It's just your imagination._

He was about to go upstairs when he saw the temple door, remembering a lone bubble floating in one of the rooms.

He shakes his head, he should go to sleep.

Maybe the gems won't have to watch over him this night.

*************

Steven's running.

From what? He doesn't know. He can sense that it's behind him, but he doesn't dare look back.

Endless rows of vines covered in thorns occupy the walls in this labyrinth he's in.

Everytime he slows down or takes a break, he can feel their breath on his neck and he sprints. As soon as he runs, whoever's chasing him is distant, but he can still hear their footsteps, constantly reminding him of how close they are.

He's _so_ tired.

He's tired of running.

Tired of running away, but what else can he do?

He couldn't face it. He just _can't._

_ He should be strong enough to handle this._

_ But he isn't. He knows he isn't._

Something is in the distance. Covered by a few thorny vines.

A door. A haven. A safe place. He doesn't know what could be behind it, but anything is better than facing whoever or whatever was behind him.

Steven gives all of his energy into running torwards it. He gets inside, slamming the door into whoever was chasing him. They scream and pound at the door, but somehow it doesn't break.

They've stopped. The teen attempts to open the door. He can't open it. He's stuck here.

Guess he has to explore the inside of wherever he is, at least he's not outside.

Steven's been wandering for a while.

He still can't see the walls because of the thick vines. The floor is paved with stone, old and dusty.

He laid eyes on a familiar star-shaped opening leading to somewhere. There's a soft pink light emitting from it.

_It's better than walking around aimlessly, I guess._

He enters and... sees himself.

A statue of him is on the fountain. It's mimicking the pose that his mother's statue made.

Except its eyes are wide open, glossy orbs staring into him as the pink tears flow from it. As if silently judging his every move.

Though a bit unnerved, he gets closer to the fountain in the center. He takes a seat at the base of it.

Looking around him, he sees the vines completely enveloped the place, the only source of light comes from the pink tears from the statue.

He looks up... and sees himself staring back at him.

Steven jumps back and takes a few steps away from the fountain.

He watches as his doppelganger's skin break off its body. Stone after stone revealing bright pink skin that blinds him.

The figure stares at him, eyes still the texture of glass, but behind it, a fire raging with anger.

He wanted to run, but he can't run away from this problem.

He justs stares in fear, rooted in place by the vines that latched on to his body, sharp thorns giving him cuts all across his arms and legs.

He closes his eyes and tries to force himself to wake up, escape from this nightmare.

_Wake up. _They're still getting closer to him.

_WAKE UP. _They're right in front of him.

_PLEASE I JUST WANT TO BE FREE! _**"Free from what, Steven?"**

They force his eyes open, he sees their cheeks, they're the only part that isn't pink.

He looks down and sees two pink thorn-like spikes on his cheeks.

He wants to scream as loud as he could, but they're silent, cut off by the hand of his pink self as he asks him, his own voice echoing in his ears.

**"What are you scared of, Steven? Why won't you tell them?"**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He finally wakes up. At first he's mostly annoyed at the fact that he woke up after he got scared.

Then he noticed where he was, the constant running water, pink flowers all around him, and the face of his mother, eyes forever closed with tears streaming down her face.

He's at the fountain. _How? Why is he even here? He doesn't know._

_ He never knows what's happening him._

The question repeats in his mind, **What are you afraid of, Steven?**

Tears flow from him as he stares at his reflection.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonders if someone guessed what the different line breaks mean


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings here: worms, teeth falling and technically a character dying.

Something flies past him, something blue and green. They were carrying some things, a tiny pink thing with faint drops of red even landed on his face, but that's not important right now.

He _should_ recognize them, he's _seen_ them before, they have... _names. Why couldn't he remember? _A faint memory surfaces, Green and Blue are excited, showing off a bunch of...something...

A bunch of what? He _should_ remember this, they were so happy to show them off. His head throbbed, he leaned his body against the hard rocks. Desperately trying to remember _something, ANYTHING._

They were shouting about something when they flew over him. He couldn’t make out some of the... words, but from what he could gather.

  
They were saying... something like ‘found' and ‘hurt' a few times. Why can’t he remember? What did those sounds mean? What…

  
What was he thinking about? 

Doesn't matter, he's alone and safe.

No one can hurt him <strike>and he can't hurt anybody.</strike>

That's all that matters.

~*~**~*~********~*~

It was a nice spring day. The sun was shining, there were birds chirping, and the flowers were in bloom around his little picnic with Connie.

They were both having fun, exchanging jokes and laughing with no care in the world, then suddenly there was a bit of pain in his gums.

He sees Connie looking at him with worry clear on her face. He tells her that he's fine, there's nothing to worry about and he'll be right back. He faces away from her and runs down the cliff.

He can feel his tooth. It aches, it's like there are worms inside and they're _wriggling_. He tries to pull it out, desperately tugging with all his might, but to no avail. He can feel it moving around without him touching. The tooth _finally_ drops all on its own and...

The worms, they _were_ inside, wriggling around in his tooth, eating it from the inside out. There wasn't even any blood or pulp inside, it's just filled with _more_ worms. They're still crawling around the tooth, the little pink creatures eating the rest of the enamel.

He wants to say something, _anything _to Connie, she's still sitting at the top of the cliff, waiting for him. He was about to go back, but he felt a familiar pain.

His teeth, _all_ of his teeth start to ache once more.

He tries to run, force himself through the pain, but there's only so much someone could take all at once. He was halfway up the cliff when he stopped.

He can only watch as they all fall out of his mouth, ropes of saliva dripping with the teeth on the other end. They're pilled on the grass below him, the bugs crawled around feasting on the remains of the teeth.

He runs. He doesn't even look back, all of them have fallen out of his mouth. There's nothing left that could stop him.

A white butterfly passed by.

Three more butterflies are in his vision.

Nine more surrounded him.

He's lost count of how many he seen.

Hundreds are swarming him at this point, they landed on the back of his shirt and stayed there, weighing him down.

His legs are staring to cramp up, his breathing's heavy, the butterflies are all over him. He's been running for a while, why hasn't he reached the top yet?

He can see her! She stood there, staring down at him, wait... why does she look so scared?

They're just butterflies.

He reached the top, Connie is near the edge, terrified, for some reason that Steven cannot understand.

She kept throwing stuff torwards him. The butterflies kept shielding him. She's shaking, desperately looking around for something <strike>or someone.</strike>

"Connie, it's just me." He said, taking a small step forward.

"No! Stay back!" She shouted, seeing only the butterflies <strike>and not the human underneath. </strike>

He kept going torwards her, not being able to hear a thing she said; his vision almost completely covered by the butterflies, but he can _see her_.

He just needed to get close. He just wants to be with her.

She was one step away from falling. He was one step closer to being with Connie.

He took one last step, the butterflies disappeared from his vision,_ but so did Connie._

no. n o no nononono

NO! This wasn't happening! This _can't _be happening!

He hears it. A scream, loud and desperate, getting fainter and fainter until

He hears the sick _crunch_ of something breaking below him.

He can only stare as the butterflies swarmed torwards her body.

"I-I didn't-" _You killed her._

"I didn't mean to-" _You monster._

His legs finally gave and he was kneeling on the grass, crying; hoping that his tears reach the ground below.

The voices continued, _You didn't save her. She was scared of you._

"I'm sorry!" He sobbed as the voices screeched everything wrong with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He woke up in a cold sweat that day. He was on a cliff surrounded by a few purple flowers, shaped like little bells and their scent strong in the air. He recognized them from the gardening book that Amethyst secretly had. They're Hyacinths.

He stood up to see where exactly he was, he was on Brooding Hill, same place where his dream took place. He heard someone panting behind him.

Connie was the one who found him. Sweat dripping down her forehead as she breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing him.

He wanted to touch her, hold her in his arms. Make sure he wasn't dreaming. _She's here, she's safe._ He looked at her... and

Connie's screams filled his ears as the memory of her falling repeated again and again. He dropped to his knees and cried, his mind forcing him to relive his nightmare. She tried to comfort him, but even the slight touch of her hand on his shoulder was enough for him to flinch.

She didn't give up and kept attempting to snap Steven out of it. She kneeled and held both of his shaking hands. He looked at her, tears still streaking his face, but he's _looking_ at her. She looked him in the eyes and repeated a simple phrase, "It's okay, _I'm_ here."

After a while, he stopped crying and hugged her tight, as if she would disappear if he let her go. He couldn't remember the conversation they had, but one sentence stuck in his mind.

"Wait, d-did we both had the same nightmare?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You want to know my favorite part in writting the nightmares?
> 
> Looking up the symbolism of what certain things seen in dreams mean and writing them in.
> 
> Wonder if someone could find them all.


	4. Chapter 4

He hears voices. Shouting. They're getting closer. 

He _needs_ to hide. Protect himself. There's no time! 

Four figures appear. They're shocked. They stare at him.

They look so _familiar..._

Red is tall and looks strong, Violet is small but nimble, White looks prepared for action, and the last figure...

<strike>She</strike> looks...sad? Scared? Pushes the others back. Says something, others don't hear, so

<strike>She</strike> holds them back. _Why? _Why _protect_ him, he's...

Head's pounding. He claws at his head. Something emerges,

Memory? Dream? Nightmare? He doesn't _know. _

_Wants__ the pain to stop. _It **hurts. Everything HURTS.**

Something is **wrong. Everything _feels_ W R O N G. **

**W h y? Whywhywhy? Hurt EVerywHerE!**

** No PaiN! SToP! pLeasE! **

** _St_** _op...._

He lies down, succumbing to the pain. He lost consciousness once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry this latest chapter is short, but don't worry I'm 1k words into the last chapter.
> 
> And that chapter is the reason I wrote the fic in the first place.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the main reason this fic was even made. Warnings here besides Steven suffering? Blood and gore, body horror and transformation.
> 
> Hoped you enjoyed my little experiment in writing.

_She knows._

_She KNOWS._

_CONNIE SAW!_

Steven is running. To where? He doesn't know or care. He just wants to be as far away as possible.

_She knows now, she's going to tell the gems. They don't need to know. I can handle this. They already have so many problems._

His hand clutches his hair, feeling the tiny, sharp horn among his curls. He looks at his hand and sees spots of crimson that weren't there before he touched it.

_ I shouldn't add on to that. I can fix this. They shouldn't have to worry about me._

He noticed where he was, the gem structures still unfinished, but none of the damage from the attack was left.

_Every problem they have; every gem that is suffering it's all because of you._

Little Homeworld is a ghost town, every gem evacuated after the attack was announced. There was no one here to see or hear him. He yelped when he felt his skin being pricked by some unknown force.

Pink. It was spreading outwards from his gem, the skin around his gem has thickened into some sort of hide. Pins and needles poking his skin as the changes progressed.

He tilted his head up and saw it, a crystal platform shining under the setting sun. A warp pad, luckily for him, it wasn't damaged in any way.

It was still functional. <strike>_Why wouldn't it be? You're still normal, right? _</strike>He practically launched himself on the hard crystal and forced it to beam him somewhere. Light enveloped his form and Little Homeworld was empty once more.

Maybe it would land him on the moon, maybe it would send him to the desert. He doesn't care where it sends him—he just wants to be as far away from them as possible.

Steven finally landed on somewhere, the sun has fully set and the moon hasn't come out. Surrounding him was darkness almost as if the void has swallowed him whole.

And he can still see, his eyes reflected the blackness of night with two pink pinpricks of light coming from his eyes. Surrounding the warp pad he's on are a couple of _pink_ crystals.

Vexed by a sudden jolt of pain. He fell over and clutched his stomach, his gem glowing bright and erratic as a tingling sensation travels through his spine.

Every part of his back hurts as protrusions from his spine force through his skin, ripping his jacket apart, staining it and the ground below with _red._ The spikes themselves are similar to the growing horn on his head—pink, crystalline and they're sharp, like thorns on a rose.

He howled in pain, his screams echoed in the empty, lifeless kindergarten. No one can hear his pleas as his spine extends in length. New bone and muscles forming as he grows an extra appendage that's completely foreign to him.

It thrashes around, hitting the broken crystals. It hurts and it's a horrific reminder that the tail is a part of him— a part of whatever terrifying creature he ends up turning into. _He finally realized what's happening to him._

"Mom...Dad....C-Connie....Pearl..Garnet..Amethyst! Someone! Anyone! _Please!_ Help!" Steven cried in the darkness, desperate for someone to suddenly come for his aid.

But nobody came. He got what he asked for—he was truly alone.

_No one could save him from this_.

He forced himself to stand, the changes <strike>_corruption_ </strike>seemed to have temporarily stopped, _for now._ He grunts as he attempts to stand on shaking legs, supporting himself using the crystals near him.

Steven looks down at the warp pad, pieces of his once pink jacket are scattered on it. He tries to warp to his mother's fountain. 

_ He can still fix this, he just needs to get some of the healing water on him. It's got to have some of the essence left. _He looks around, there's no light coming from the warp pad. 

_ Okay, there's a slight delay, but it still works...right? I can still activate it. <strike>I'm not that corrupted yet. I can still use it.</strike>_

…

  
Seconds pass, pink spreads once again and he still hasn’t activated the warp pad. Dread settles in his heart; he’s waving his hands back and forth and noticed that it is spreading to his arms. He’s fallen on his knees, hitting it with all of his strength, trying his hardest to just-

  
Make. This. Stupid. Thing. Work!

  
_It shattered._

  
Crystal shards flew around him, the shattered pieces hitting his skin; some even getting stuck in his hands, but there’s no effect. He’s still hitting it; red filling his vision as he kept hitting it, again and again and again and again until he slowed down to a halt.

  
He can see himself reflected in the shattered platform, streaks of crimson flowed downward from the top of his head. Two new horns have sprouted at the sides of his temples.

He takes a long look at his hands, the beginnings of claws started to grow, his hands-if he could even call them that, were completely pink and had some sort of tough layer of hide.

_How did he not notice? He was frustrated, but he could stop, right? He wouldn’t hurt anyone out of anger…right?_

A bubbled rebel jasper, a fusion forcibly unfused, and a pink pearl whose cracks run across her face like spider webs flashed through his mind one by one. The last thing all of them saw before being bubbled or carried away, is a hybrid that was completely pink losing all sense of humanity to stop them.

_All because they kept reminding him of one thing, a diamond long gone._

He gazed at the broken warp pad in front of him, having a large hole in the center; he stares at his hands, bits of crystal and dust are on them. _He did this. Oh Stars above, **HE**** DID THIS.**_

_ What could've happened if that was a gem?_

_ What could've happened if that was a human?_

He found himself running once more, deeper into this desolate area, a labyrinth of broken injectors and empty holes. Making twists and turns to purposely lose track of where he was going.

  
He needed to run away not towards the gems, not towards any sort of civilization but away, far far away.

_He can’t be near them, he could lose control and they could get-_

He kept running, ignoring the pain that returned.

...

The half-corrupted teen has been running for a while, his legs are starting to cramp, but he doesn't know if it's because they're affected or if he's just tired.

He's _so_ tired.

He's tired of running.

Tired of running from it, but what else can he do?

_He couldn't stop it. He just can't._

_ He should be strong enough to handle this. He's supposed to be one of the strongest gems. He was supposed to be a leader._

_ But he isn't. He knows he isn't._

_ He's always been a burden. Even from the start. He's the source of everyone's problems._

_ He deserved this._

He tripped on something while running and he fell to the ground. His legs were shifting in length and shape, bones cracking and joints popping. He flips onto his back, ignoring the feeling of his spikes and tail on the rocky ground, and looks at what made him trip.

Claws, they're the same as his spikes and horns. He had claws on his feet now. His pink slippers had holes and chunks of it were missing. He sits up and sees in the distance— a lone white butterfly.

He blinked once, twice. Rubbed his eyes a little, it's still there, flying around an injector cut in half.

_Why is it there? _He kept staring at it, watching how it flutters around, no general sense of purpose. It lands on the gem part of the broken tech.

Curiosity took hold of him; he attempts to stand on his feet the way he was used to and falls; he tries again, standing on his toes, it felt unnatural, still he managed to 'walk' his way to the ghostly insect.

He stumbled a few times before getting there, but he made it. He sees himself reflected on the butterfly's wings before it flies onto his horns.

He looks at the crystal and he staggers back at what he saw.

In the reflection of the crystal, is a giant creature with multiple horns and long tusks. It's staring intensely at the crystal with glowing pink eyes. As if trying to find someone. On its horns is a minuscule white butterfly.

oh

_ oh no._

_ n o no nononono_

_ NO! This wasn't him! This can't be him!_

_ That's not him, he's not <strike>a monster.</strike>_

He looks back at the reflection, a sorrowful face of a monster stared back at him.

_ You're too far gone to be saved._

He turned around and ran. He doesn't care how it felt on his feet. He doesn't want to see his gem glowing brighter; he doesn't want to watch himself growing and shifting in size and length. Humanity stripped away from him piece by piece as he grew.

He stopped running when he fell down and he felt something pop out from both sides of his body. Two new limbs came out completely pink and clawed, pools of pink dripped from both sides, until his body closed the wounds. When he tried to stand up, his hips locked in a quadrupedal form, suited more for an animal.

_He was becoming one anyway. Why even fight it?_

Using all six of his limbs, he ran, the ground below him shaking after each step. Spikes burst from all over his monstrous body as he ran, leaving a trail of bloody pink across the barren land. He wanted to scream, but his changing vocal cords wouldn't let him.

He's so exhausted, his steps slowed down to a crawl and he stops right under an injector dangling from the edge, its legs clinging on to the empty holes.

The transformation was nearing its end, he can _feel_ it. It's creeping up his long neck, sending sparks all the way down to his spiked tail. His gem was slowing in its flashing.

Clumps of his dark hair started to fall off his head, wind scattering them. Skull cracking and reforming as it changes shape, his clawed hands clutched his head, he only felt the hardness of hide.

A guttural noise escaped him when he felt some of his teeth grow sharper. Iron filled his senses as two teeth fell, one from each side.

His jaw grew to accommodate the extra teeth and tusks filled the empty space left behind by the fallen teeth.

The two horns on the side of his head extended in length, growing inch by inch and at the end of it they curved.

It was done. His gem stopped glowing entirely. Every part of him ached, wanting- no _needing _some sort of comfort.

He howled for help one last time as rivers of tears flowed from him, hoping that someone, anyone would hear him now.

Exhaustion finally took a hold of him, a little bit of mercy from the horrors of the waking world.

Only one last thought entered his mind before he blacked out, he wished that this nightmare would end.

_ Steven_ doesn't know where he is. Well, he doesn't know where he is _right now,_ _he just woke up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure whether to apologize to Steven or to whoever's reading this.
> 
> Probably both. Definitely both.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be a one-chaptered fic, but i spent wayyy too much time writing the other parts instead of the beginning.
> 
> Decided to split them instead into a few parts.
> 
> (To everyone who bookmarked the series tag, sorry I messed up in just trying to rename the thing and accidentally deleted it.)


End file.
